Stop and Think

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Wonderful Sagan posted an interesting video on her blog and made me think of my own experience with the issue:

A few days ago I posted a video from YouTube on my site. It was basically a long series of "Your Mom.." jokes- I thought it was funny. But when I got a comment from a blogger who found it offensive, I really took a step back and evaluated my thinking.

Kelsey (didn't have a blog linked) left me this comment: "I found this to be very tasteless. For a "healthy-eating" blog, you sure aren't promoting a healthy perspective with this. Rather, this video promotes judging and making fun of people who are overweight or obese. "

I watched the video again to see what she was talking about. I realized all of the jokes had to do with this (never pictured) mom who was in the hospital and way overweight. "She's going to need her own zip code".... You get the idea. I decided to take the video down. I never want to offend anyone- especially when it comes to an issue such as weight.

I am very passionate about a lot of things. I will speak my mind on any injustice. So since I care so strongly about healthy living and want others to follow suit, was it right for me to find humor in a joke that essentially makes fun of overweight people?

There is security in humor. After all, we laugh in awkward situations when we don't know what to say. When I found out some of the worst news of my life, I laughed. I didn't know what else to do. Humor stretches our limitations, tests just how far we will go.

But are we allowing such humor to degrade us? Obesity is a serious issue. Obesity can take away the quality of one's life as well as open the door for sickness. Is this something to laugh about?

Is laughing at obesity sending the wrong message about weight and body image? Are blonde jokes telling blonde girls that they're not smart?

We as a society should build one another up. So is there still room for this type of humor? Tell me what you think.